Machine for forming angularly bent drinking tubes



Dec. 8, 1942.

s. T. MALTBY MACHINE 'FOR FORMING ANGULARLY BENT DRINKING'TUBES I Filed April 1l, 1940 GSheets-Sheet 1 i Dec. 8, 1942. l s. T. MALTBY y Y 24.304,4674

MACHINE FOR FORMING ANGULARLY BENT DRINKING TUBES Filed April l1, 1940 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 I 2252@ 27m zfby.

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s. T. MAL-rai?v Dec. s, 1942.

MACHINEv FOR FORMING ANGULARLY BENT DRINKING TUBES Filed April 11, 1940V e sheets-sheet 5 10 MSM Tja-'g5' if z5' if@ 2% Dec. 8, 1942. s. T. MALTBY MACHINE Foa FORMING ANGULARLY BENT DRINKING Tuz Filed April l1, 1940 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 DeC- 8, 1942- s. T. MALTBY 2,304,467

MACHINE FOR FORMING NGULARLY BENT DRINKING TUBES Filed April l1, 1940 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 'Digi EJ- l 76 22 ffl 7 d n Uf/MAMA Dec. 8, 1942.

S. T. MALTBY MAcHiNE FOR'v onMING ANGULARLY BENT DRINKING TUBES l Filed April 11., 1940l f Aeshee's-snem e Snnentor Clttorneg Patented Dec. 8, 1942 i MACHINE FCR FORMING ANGULARLY BENT DRINKING TUBES Sidney T. Maltby,

Washington, D. o.,` assigner te Stone Straw Corporation, corporation of New Jersey Washington, D. C., a

, Application April 11, 1940, serial No. 329,164

13 Claims.

-This invention relates to a machine for form- 1 ing` angularly bent drinking tubes from straight lengths of heat softening tubular material, such as cellulose acetate or thelike.

More specifically, the invention provides a machine in which successively fed tubes which are.

initiallystraight are heated intermediate their ends and are thereby softened and bent to angular shape, while at the same time they are supported internally so that the resulting tube will have a substantially uniform bore throughout and will not be buckled or restricted at the point of bend.

Angularly bent drinking tubes have heretofore been made of glass and have found extensive use in such institutions as hospitals, where the pa- The usual paper straws or sippers would be desirable substitut-e for glass drinking tubes if'L it were not for the fact thatthey cannot be bent withoutitheir buckling and cutting off the iiow of beverage. Since they are formed by winding overlapping plies of material on a mandrel fromI which the completed tube is stripped, itis not feasible to form them with an angular bend, for this would prevent their withdrawal from the mandrel.

The present acetate or other heat softening material, which are of substantially uniform bore throughout.

:One object; of the invention is to provide a machine` in which straight lengths of tubing are A heated and bent to angular shape while being supported internally, to obviate buckling or collapse of the tube wall.V

Another object ofthe invention is to provide such a machine in which successively fed tubes are sealed at one end, and air is blown into them to subject them to Ainternal air `pressure during heating and bending, after which the sealed end is trimmed off, and the cooled and permanently bent tube is delivered from the machine.

Other and further objects will be apparent from the following description and drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of the machine.

Figure 2 is a verti-cal sectional View, taken along line 2-2 of Figure 1.

invention achieves an economical manufacture of bent drinking tubes of celluloseV Figure 3 is an enlarged frag-mentary plan view, partly in section, of the mechanism shown in the left of Figure l.

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail view, partly in vertical section, along line -ll ofFigure 1.

Figure 5 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of a tube before bending, received upon one of the air nozzles.

Figure 6 is a vertical sectional View taken along 4the line 6-5 of Figure 1. y

i Figure 7 is a View, partly in section, of the trimmer shown in the lower right of Figure 1.

Figure 8 is a view, partly in vertical section, of the Istripper rolls, showing the manner of withdrawing a completed tube from the air nozzle.

Figure 9 is a side view 4of `the delivery table and mechanism for counting the completed tubes.

Figure 10 is a front view of the delivery platform and counting mechanism. Y

Figure 1l is a top view of the delivery platform.

Figure l2 is a side view of the delivery platform, showing the manner of delivering counted groups of completed tubes.

Figure 13 is a detail view, taken from the end of the anvil and hammer members shown in the right of Figure 4.

Figure 14 is a bottom View, showing in detail themechanism for operating the tamper. i

Figure 15 is a side elevatio-n of one of the pusher dogs of the delivery mechanism, and its associated cam raising means.-

Referring more particularly to the drawings:

A circular table l0, formed with radial grooves Il, is mounted for rotation on a standard l2 by means of a supporting thrust collar i3 (Figure 2), and is driven by mot-or I4 through suitable gearing I5. r

Above the table EE) Ythere is mounted a xed circular casting I which has a peripheral flange vl1 extending into contact with a plate i3, the

casting and plate defining between them an air chamber I9. Air under pressure is admitted to the chamber through regulating valve 2D from a source not shown, and escapes from the chamber through an arcuate series of ports 2l, shown in dotted linesFigure 1.

Thel grooves Il. in the rotary table are of a shape to receive tubes 22 and to support themin spaced relation as the table rotates. The grooves extend inwardly from the periphery of th-e table, and at their ends mount soft rubber nozzles 23 which are tapered to enter theends of the tubes slid into the grooves, and which `are shouldered as at 24 to limit inward movement of the tubes.

The rubber nozzles t upon tubular sleeves 25 in the bores of air passages 26 which extend t0 the upper surface of the rotary table and communicate with the discharge ports from the air chamber as the table rotates, thereby permitting air to blow through the nozzles in a selected region for the purpose to be presently described.

A circular wire frame 21 is attached to the table l and .extends both out beyond its periphery and below its upper surface. V'I'his frame supports the outwardly projecting' ends of the tubes which fall when they are softened by heat in their passage over an arcuate heater 28 mounted beably, the heater 28 is slightly oi center with respect to the rotary table so that the tubes carried over it will be evenly heated throughout the region of their softening. f

A hopper 29 is mounted on the casting i6 over the outer portion of the table l0 to Y deliver straight lengths of tubingone at a time intovthe radial grooves of the table as. they pass under the hopper discharge opening.

An agitator 3i), shown as an angular roddriven 'through gearing 3l from a. motor 732, serves to keep the tubes from becoming jammed in the hopper discharge and to insure their uninterrupted delivery to the rotary table.`

Also geared to the agitator shaft is the tamping mechanism shown in detail in Figure 3. This comprises a plate 33 which is pivoted at 34 to a bracket 35 on the side Wall of the hopper.

The tamper is actuated by a rocker arm' Sii, also carried by the bracket, and a connecting link 3l. A driven shaft 33, which is journalled in the bracket, has an eccentric pin 3S (Figure 14) projecting from a disc carried thereby, such pinencentric pin and slot arrangement shown in Figure 4, from gearing 3i connecting it to motor 32. The hammer element 44 is pivotedat 45 for Vertical rocking movement, and it has ar reduced end 48 which engages the bifurcated end of rocker arm 42. A bracket ,41 carries the anvil lili which has spaced pins 49 projectingfrom its under surface and guided in holes formed in the underlying part of the bracket. Springs are mounted on such pins, and are adapted to be compressed between the anvil and the bracket for cushioning the hammer impact.

Up to this point the tubes have beenv delivered to the table in succession and have been forced upon the air nozzles which, however, lare -not yet in communication with the lair supply. The projecting ends of the tubes which overhang the edge of the table have been softened and sealed, while at the same time the intermediate portions of the tubes have begun to soften from the heat of the underlying heater 28.

K A rocker arm 42, I i pivotally mounted on lug 43, is driven by eclow the table and beyond itsperiphery. Prefer- Y heater 28 they cool and set, still under internal:

supporting pressure which prevents buckling and collapse at the point of bend.

After the table has rotated suihciently to cut o communication'between the air chamber and Y the tubes which are now bent, the sealed ends of the latter are trimmed off by rotary knives iii?, driven in unison by gearing 5i, through belt gearing 52 from motor 53.

Also, through belt gearing 5d from motor 53, the adjoining stripper vrolls 55 are rotated. These are of soft rubber, set at an angle to pull each succeeding tube off of its respective rubber nozzle and into position to .bev received under` the endless belts 56 moving along a discharge platform 5l. ,The endless belts are driven by pulleys 53 on spaced shafts 59 which are rotated by gearing Si). g

As the tubes are stripped from their associated air'nozzles by the rolls 55 Vtheir ends are guided under a projecting spring strip 6| (Figure 11) from which they then pass in riding up the inclined apron 62of the discharge platform as they continue' to be carried along by their engagement With-the grooves Il in the rotating table. l

The outer ends of the tubes so delivered pass successively under one of the endless belts 56 which by its speed partly rotates the tube to disengage it from its associated groove li, as shown in dotted lines, Figure 12, and in full lines in Figure 1l. The raised inner end of the tube is guided into position to be engaged by the other endess belt 56 by the cut-out portion 63a of a guard rail 63 which overlies the grooves of the rotating table'and terminates adjacent the'endless belts 56. Thus, both endless belts engage the tubes adjacent their opposite ends and feed Ehem toward the discharge end of the platform Counting and delivery mechanism is carried by a frame 611 Which'bridges the discharge platlt is mounted on the As the table continues to rotate, communication with the air supply is established and the tubes are thus put under internal pressure as they soften and fall onto the wire frame 27, as shown in Figure 6. Thereafter, as they pass beyond the form. A horizontal shaft 65 is journalled in the frame and carries a pulley driven by an endless belt 65. It also mounts a camV disc 6l' against which a pivoted larm 68 is held by a spring El?, and which by abutting the shoulder of the cam vprevents rotation thereof under the'inuence of the continuously moving release the cam.

The pivoted arm 63 is raised by the armature of a solenoid l' which is pivotally connected to it, but being immediately lowered again bythe spring 69 it limits the cam rotation to 360 degrees.

An eccentric pin 'H projecting from the side face of the cam 61 pivotally supports a link 12 through which motion is transmitted'to a pivoted lever 73, the' latter beingmountedl to swing about a pivot '14. The lever l3` is bifurcated as shown in Figure 10 and at its ends mounts pusher dogs 'l5 and 76. Dog 16 carries a laterally projecting pin 'l1 which rideson Vthe inclined cam surface of a bracket 18. The bracket upper .surface of a side strip 'i9 which extendsV longitudinally of `the discharge platform and which overlies the ends of the tubes while a similar side stripA 30 on the other side edge of the platform overlies the opposite-ends of the tubes.

In the retracted position ofthe lever 'I3 as shown in Figures 9 and l2, the dog l5 Ahasridden overa group ofA tubes and is in position to thrust them forwardly. The dog 16, however, hasridden up the inclined cam surfaceof bracket i3 belt 66 until it is raised to and is held out of contact with the tubes until the forward thrust has been initiated.

The tubes accumulate in advance of the pusher dogs until the leading one presss against the spring contacts 8| which are in the `path of the y5 advancing tubes, thereby closing the electric circuit through the solenoid 10 and `causing the lever 'I3 to be swung forwardly, segregating the collected tubes and delivering them in a group for packaging. `It will be appreciated that the number of tubes so selected and discharged may be varied at will, either by adjusting the throw of the lever 13, or`by adjusting the positionA ofy the contacts8l along the discharge platform.

In operation of the machine, straight'tubes of some suitable heat softening material are fed from the hopper, singly, tothe radial grooves in the' underlying rotary table. `They are then tamped into the grooves from the end and `onto the rubber air jet nozzles. Next, the projecting ends of the tubes are softened by heat and at thefollowing station they are pressed and sealed. Following this, the tubes are softened by heat applied to the region intermediate their length, and theythereby fall onto the surrounding wire guardor stopwhich limits the extent of their bending, while at the same time air under pressure "is blown into the openends of the tubes to hold the softened walls distended and to prevent their buckling.

At the succeeding stations the sealed ends of the tubes are clipped7 after which the completed tubes are stripped from the rubber nozzles and delivered to a discharge platform where they, are segregated automatically into groups of de``35 sired numbers and discharged for packaging.

From theforegoing, it will be apparent that the machine of my invention constitutes an automatic and efficient mechanism for transforming straight tubes into angularly bent drinking tubes of substantially uniform internal diameter throughout, and for delivering the completed .tubes in groups to be packaged.

`What I claim as my invention and desire 3110,;5 secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A machine for-forming angularly bent drinking tubes, comprising a heater for softening one end of the tube, means for sealing `such softened end, a` source of air under pressure communicati350 ing with the open end of the tube, a `heater eX- posed to an intermediate portion of said tube, andmeans for supplying air under pressure internally of the tube as it is softened by said second heater to prevent its buckling at the region of bend.

2. A machine for forming angularly bent drinking tubes, comprising a heater for softening one end of the tube, means for sealing such softened end, a source of air `under pressure communicating with the open end of the tube, a second heater underlying an intermediate portion of said tube, a stop for limiting the degree of bend of such softened tube, means for supplying air under pressure internally of the tube 65 as it is softened by said second heater, thereby to prevent its buckling at the region of bend and to maintain its internal diameter substantially uniform throughout.

3. A machine for forming angularly bent drinking tubes, comprising means for sealing the end of a straight tube, a source of air under pressure communicating with the opposite end of said tube, a heater to which a restricted intermediate portion of said tube is exposed to soften it and permit it to bend while under internal airpressure, and mechanism for vremoving the sealed end of said tube afterit is bent to shape.

4. A machine .for forming angularly bent drinking tubes, comprising a heater for softening one end of `the tube, means for `sealing such softened end, a` source of air under pressure communicating with the open end of the tube, a

,second heater to which an intermediate portion of said tube is exposed and is thereby softened while subjected to internal air pressure to keep its wall from collapse, a stopv` for limiting the angular bend of such softened tube, and a, cutter for removing the sealed end of the tube after it is bent to shape.

5. A machine for forming angularly bent drinking tubes, comprising a rotary table having radial tube receiving grooves therein, tube receiving nozzles in the respective grooves communicating with a source of air under pressure, means for forcing tubes along said grooves and onto said nozzles, means for temporarily sealing the opposite ends of said tubes, means'for softening said tubesat a region intermediate their ends while subjecting them internally to air pressure to prevent their collapsein bending, a cutter for removing the sealed ends of the tubes afterthey are bent to shape, and means for stripping said tubes Vfromtheir associated nozzles for delivery 'from the machine.v y

6. A machine for formmg angularly bentV drinking tubes, comprising a rotary table having radial tube receiving grooves therein of less length than the tubes, tube receiving nozzles in the respectivegrooves communicating with a source of air under pressure, a tamper for forcing` said tubes onto` said nozzles, a heater for softening saidftubes at their projecting ends, pinching and sealing means for the softened ends ofgthetubes a second heater to which an intermediate projecting portion of each tube is exposed,-a stop for' limiting the angular bend of the tubes whenin softened condition, a cutter for removing the sealed ends of the cooled tubes,

and stripper rollers engageable with the projecting ends of the tubes to remove them fromitheir associated nozzles.

*7. A machine for forming angularly bent drinking tubes, comprising a rotary table formed with radial tube receiving grooves of less length than the tubes, hopper means for feeding straight lengths of tube singly to the grooves of said table, tube receiving nozzles in said grooves, a source of air under pressure communicating with said nozzles while the table passes through an arc of its rotation, a tamper for forcing said tubes onto said nozzles, a heater for softening the projecting ends of the tubes, pinching and sealing means for the softened ends of the tubes, a second heater to which an intermediate projecting portion of each tube is exposed inthe continued rotation of the table, a stop upon which the projecting portions of the tubes fall When softened, to limit the degree of bending thereof, a cutter for removing the sealed ends of the tubes, and a pair of stripper rolls engageable with the projecting ends of the tubes to remove them from their associated nozzles.

8. A machine for forming angularly bent drinking tubes, comprising a rotary table formed with radial tube receiving grooves of a length less than the tubes to be received therein, a hopper for feeding straight lengths of tube singly to such radial grooves, tube receiving nozzles mounted in the grooves and communicating with -a source of air under pressurein certain positions ofthe tableinits-rotation, atamper for forcing such tubesinwardlypin their'assooiated grooves l andl ontotheir: respective air nozzles, means for sealing the outwardly :projecting .ends of the tubes, means for causing airto be admitted under pressure to the interior of the tubes, a heater to which a part vof .the `Vprojecting portion of each tubev is exposedthereby to soften it while under internal air pressure, aV stop for limiting bending `of .the tubes when so softened,a cutter for removingqthesealed ends-of the tubes, a pair of cooperating stripper rolls engageable with the projecting ends of the tubes to' strip them from their associated nozzles, a discharge platform having j -an .inclinedapron to which the tubes are delivered, a pair jof endless belts moving over said platform, one. of which engages the outer ends of the tubes in advance of the other belt engagingrthev innerrends thereof, thereby to roll each'tube up andlput of the groove in which it -is--supported, and an, overlying guard to limit vthe extent of rollof the tube sothat it will be engaged by said;=se,c,ond endless belt and discharged Yfrom vthe machine,

9. A'machine for forming angularly bent drinking tubes, comprising -a rotary tions ofthe table in its rotation, a tamper for forcing suchtubes inwardly in their associated -grooves andy onto their respective air nozzles, 1 means for sealing the outwardly projecting ends .of the tubes, means for causing air to be admitted under pressure to, the interior of the tubes, a heater to VVwhich a part of the projecting po-rtion iofeach tube is exposed,thereby to soften it while under internal'air pressure, a stop for. limiting bending of the tubes when so softened, a cutter for removing the sealed ends of the tubes, a pair of cooperating stripper rolls engageable with lthe projectingends of the tubes to strip them from their associated nozzles, a discharge platform having an inclined apron to which the tubes are delivered, a pair of endless belts moving over said-platform, `one of which engages the outer ends ofthe tubes in advance of the other belt `engaging the innerA ends thereof, thereby to roll each tube up and out of the groove in which'it is supported, anoverlying-guardV to limit the extent of roll of the tube so that it will be engaged by said second endless belt, and means for segregating and delivering predetermined numbers of completed tubes in groups for packaging.

10. In a machine of the class described, a rotary table having radial grooves therein for support of tubes bentY in process withV their projecting ends deflected downwardly, a discharge platform extending substantially tangentially of said table, a pair of endless, belts for engaging opposite ends'of such tubes, the arrangement of said belts being such that the one to which the outer ends of the tubes are presented grips the tubes in advance of the other, thereby rolling them upwardly andY out of Y their associated Y grooves, and an overlying guard limiting the upward movement of the inner ends of the'tubes so that they will be engaged by said second endless belt. Y f

, 11. A machine for forming angularly bent drinking tubes, comprising a tube support, means for feeding tubes to said support to overhang the fedge thereof,'means for heating andV softening the tubes in their` overhanging portions, means for limiting the bending of suchV softened tubes, and a source of air under pressure communicating with the interiors of said tubes while the walls thereof are in softened condition to prevent their collapse at the region of bend.

12. A machine for forming angularly bent drinking tubes, comprising a grooved support, means for feeding tubes into such grooves to overhang the edge of said support, a heater for softening the tubes whereby their overhanging portions will bend, stop means'for limiting the degree of bend, anda source of air under pressure communicating with the interiors of the softened tubes to prevent their collapse at the region of bend. Y

13. In a machine of the class described, a rotary table for supporting tubes to be bent to` angular shape, said table having radial grooves therein of a length less than that of the tubes to be bent, a source of fluid pressure, a tubular sleeve in the inner end'of each groove communicating with said pressure source and a rubber nozzle fitted upon each said tubular sleeve to project axially of its respective groove, each said nozzle'being tapered outwardly and formed with a shoulder to limit seating of the tube thereon.

SIDNEY 'I'.Y MALTBY. 

